[Qing-Era Transmigration + Dream of the Red Chamber] Daiyu’s Elder Sister Loves Telling Tall Tales

Lin Yanzi wakes from a dream one day to discover that her younger sister is Lin Daiyu, the girl "buffeted by wind and frost, swords and blades," and that her father is Lin Ruhai, who will die mysteriously in office a few months from now. Her recently deceased mother wasn't her real mother, and she is about to take her younger siblings to the capital to live under someone else's roof.

She vaguely remembers her aunt saying before bed that her biological uncle is called Li Wei, and that he works for the Fourth Prince.

Li Wei? The Fourth Prince? Lin Yanzi's eyes widen. Has her tragic life story turned into a feel-good power fantasy before she's even got a grip on the script? Is life going to be easy as pie?

Still, living under someone else's roof isn't easy either.

Madam Wang gives her a condescending once-over and puts her to the test, making her sit in Jia Zheng's place of honor.

Yanzi: Literary culture flourishes in the south. This seat is reserved for Confucius.

Jia Zheng hears this and regrets that he can't do the same.

Yanzi: ...You two actually believed me?

Baoyu asks Daiyu if she has a jade pendant.

Yanzi: Who do all those jade shops on the street do business with, then? The King of Hell?

A servant brings Daiyu a palace flower last of all.

Yanzi: Are the flowers from the palace really this shabby? I hope it's not a fake.

Someone with bad intentions wants to give Daiyu bird's nest soup.

Yanzi: White bird's nest? We'll have to pass. My Daiyu eats red bird's nest.

Even the influential connection she's just managed to make gives her a headache.

He's handsome and kindhearted. He once rescued her when she fell into the water in Jiangnan, and now he's saved her father too. But there's just one thing... His eyes are strange! Especially when she sweetly calls him "Little Uncle." His gaze could freeze someone solid!

Yanzi: I just made a family connection. Is there really any need to look at me with such contempt?

The male lead's perspective:

When Yin Zhen first hears about the background of Li Wei's niece, he feels as if she's another version of himself reflected in a mirror: a noble adoptive mother, a lowborn birth mother, and difficult choices. When they meet again, she's the little drowned rat he rescued in Jiangnan!

He visits the Jia family with Li Wei, and the Jia family's old servant scrutinizes him as if he's a thief. The quick-witted girl smooths things over: "Don't blame him, Nanny. This is my Little Uncle!"

Yin Zhen: ...!

That one call of "Uncle" feels like she's cast a spell on him!

He hatches a plan to save her father, shields her from the covetous attention of a rakish member of the imperial clan, and worries that her strong-willed nature will lead her to marry the wrong man and live a miserable life...

He tosses and turns, unable to sleep at night.

After all his agonizing, he can only marry the girl himself.

After learning the truth, Yanzi asks: Is Little Uncle coming to my room tonight?

Yin Zhen: ...

Yanzi: If we have a child, should they call you Great-Uncle or Father?

Yin Zhen's ears turn bright red. He clamps a hand over her mouth: ...Please, just shut up, okay? Can you stop talking?

At least she's even sharper with everyone else.

Kangxi thinks his son has too few women in his household and wants to bestow two concubines on him.

Mindful of his status, Yanzi politely declines: It is a great honor for His Majesty to bestow women on us. But as a dutiful daughter-in-law, I would like to return them to His Majesty. We can simplify all those tedious formalities and send them straight to the imperial harem.

...Kangxi can't even find a way to accuse her of jealousy.

The Fourteenth Prince throws a tantrum at their residence, complaining that the courtyard assigned to him isn't luxurious enough.

Yanzi: Our outhouse is certainly luxurious enough. Would Your Highness the Fourteenth Prince deign to stay there?

The First Prince and the Crown Prince are at odds, and the First Prince's wife gives birth to four girls in a row.

Yanzi pretends not to understand: If one little padded jacket isn't warm enough, then two can do the job of one, right? With four daughters, that makes two sons for Big Brother. Why isn't he satisfied?

Yin Ti, the First Prince: ??? You can count it that way?

Note:

1. This story does not follow the last forty chapters or the 1987 adaptation, and is unfriendly toward Madam Wang and her faction.

2. It does not vilify Grandmother Jia. She is the one who truly cares for Daiyu the most. Without her, the Gold-and-Jade Match would have been settled long ago, and there would have been no contest between the two sides.

3. The pairing is with Yongzheng, and it's a sweet, devoted romance. Don't ask me how I made it work; it's an author-created setting.

Theme: Even after falling into the abyss, you must try to save yourself.